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Emerging diagnostics and therapeutics for Alzheimer disease
Self WK, Holtzman DM.. Nature medicine, 2023-09-04
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Alzheimer disease (AD) is the most common contributor to dementia in the world, but strategies that slow or prevent its clinical progression have largely remained elusive, until recently. This Review highlights the latest advances in biomarker technologies and therapeutic development to improve AD diagnosis and treatment. We review recent results that enable pathological staging of AD with neuroimaging and fluid-based biomarkers, with a particular emphasis on the role of amyloid, tau and neuroinflammation in disease pathogenesis. We discuss the lessons learned from randomized controlled trials, including some supporting the proposal that certain anti-amyloid antibodies slow cognitive decline during the mildly symptomatic phase of AD. In addition, we highlight evidence for newly identified therapeutic targets that may be able to modify AD pathogenesis and progression. Collectively, these recent discoveries-and the research directions that they open-have the potential to move AD clinical care toward disease-modifying treatment strategies with maximal benefits for patients.
Key findings
- We review recent results that enable pathological staging of AD with neuroimaging and fluid-based biomarkers, with a particular emphasis on the role of amyloid, tau and neuroinflammation in disease pathogenesis.
Why it matters
This review describes recent advances in biomarkers that can stage Alzheimer disease pathology and discusses evidence that certain anti-amyloid antibodies may slow cognitive decline in the mildly symptomatic phase. It also highlights newly identified therapeutic targets that might modify disease progression.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthHigh
How this study scored 65/100
Published in a top-tier journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 10 / 10 | Tier 1 — top-tier general journal (Nature medicine) |
| Journal's citation record | 4 / 4 | Nature Medicine: journal h-index 763 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 5 / 5 | Rated “high” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 3 / 5 | 2023 — within 6 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 6 / 7 | Cited 377 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 5 / 5 | 75.4 citations a year over 5 year(s) since 2023 |
| Impact for its field and year | 6 / 6 | Cited 57.2× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 3 / 6 | Cited by 19 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 4 / 4 | Cited 361 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author David M. Holtzman: h-index 206 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | Washington University in St. Louis: institution h-index 1,962 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 37667136) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 65 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
May need a subscription Unpaywall, Europe PMC and OpenAlex found no free copy of the full text (checked 10 Oct 2026), so the publisher may charge for it. The PubMed abstract is free.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Self, W. K., & Holtzman, D. M. (2023). Emerging diagnostics and therapeutics for Alzheimer disease. Nature medicine. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-023-02505-2
Vancouver
Self WK, Holtzman DM. Emerging diagnostics and therapeutics for Alzheimer disease. Nature medicine. 2023. doi:10.1038/s41591-023-02505-2. PMID: 37667136.
BibTeX
@article{self2023-37667136,
author = {Self, W. K. and Holtzman, D. M.},
title = {{Emerging diagnostics and therapeutics for Alzheimer disease}},
journal = {Nature medicine},
year = {2023},
doi = {10.1038/s41591-023-02505-2},
pmid = {37667136},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-023-02505-2}
}
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